Lose Yourself
by Zuiver
Summary: This Kansas High School may be in for more than it bargained for with its students this year. Main pairing is CastielxDean, but is not entirely the focus. T for some future violence and possible swears, and for temporary drug use.
1. Chapter 1: The First Day

Early one August day, a young black-haired boy was pulling awkwardly at a blue tie around his neck. It was his first day of high school, and he wanted desperately to make a good impression. Checking in the mirror, Castiel Novak decided that he looked very well-groomed. Sans his windswept hair at least.

Nodding to himself, he turned to see one of his brothers leaning against the doorframe, chuckling. "Balthazar?" He cocked his head quizzically to the side. "Why are you laughing?" The blonde boy, also a new freshman, waved his hand dismissively. "You know ties aren't required, right? Sheesh, Cassie, it's not a boarding school." Castiel frowned. "I want to show that I take it seriously." Balthazar rolled his eyes, he was wearing a v-neck and skinny jeans. "Whatever, c'mon we'll be late. And I'm sure you'd hate that." He nodded, and the boys went downstairs.

Ten other teens, all in varying grades of high school, were gathered. One of them, the oldest in fact, noted the new arrivals. "Alright, is Cas done primping?" He grinned teasingly. Balthazar chuckled. "Yeah, we're ready. Are the rides here yet?" The older boy, Gabriel, nodded. "Yup. You guys wanna ride with me in Joshua's car?" Castiel perked up. "Alright." They went down the stairs the rest of the way, and after picking their bagged lunches from the fridge, joined the small throng. Gabriel opened the door, and led the way out.

Everyone split off into pairs or trios, and each headed to one of the four cars parked outside. These particular three boys walked to the Prius (Joshua preferred Hybrids), and clambered in. "Hey Joshua!" Balthazar greeted. "Hello boys." Joshua said politely back, starting the car. "Are you nervous for your first day?" Castiel nodded, but Balthazar shook his head. "Nah, what's the worst that could happen?" The man chuckled. "I see your point, I'm sure it'll all be fine."

Arriving at the school, Castiel eyed it as he climbed out. "Thank you Mr. Joshua." He said absently. "You don't have to call me that." Joshua reminded him. "I'm the groundskeeper, not a teacher." Balthazar shook his head again, and pulled Cas forward. "Bye Joshua~ See you later Gabe!" Gabriel grinned, waving to them, and heading in himself.

Entering the school, the two Novak boys were greeted with the sound of hundreds of students milling around the halls. Castiel's nervousness only amplified. They knew nobody here aside from their brothers and sister, and some of the teachers. "Okay, what classes you got Cassie?" Balthazar looked at their schedules. "Hm... looks like we've got English together later... and Gym... and Earth Science." Cas wished they could have every class together, but didn't voice that. "Well, I guess we'll talk later. You can tell me all about your new friends~" Balthazar chuckled, and winked at Cas, before leaving to find his first class. The boy, now left alone, looked at his first class. Algebra I. He sighed a bit, and went to find it.

Half an hour later, he was still walking through the school. Cas looked at his schedule with mild frustration. "Room A1, where are you?" He sighed, contemplating admitting defeat and asking at the nearest classroom. The thought of interrupting a class only to snickers made his face redden in shame. Nope. There was no way he was doing that, he'd rather have to ask the principal.

Just then, as he was passing by a closet, he heard something inside. As he leaned in to get a better grasp of the sound, it opened. He stumbled backwards, but regained his balance in time to meet a pair of pretty green eyes on a freckled face. The other boy blinked. "Hm? Hey, were you eavesdropping?" The girl beside him blinked. "Maybe he's a pervert." Cas shook his head quickly. "No! I was just... curious. I wasn't sure what I was hearing." The boy snorted. "Uh-huh... well that's none of your business. Why aren't you in class?" Cas stared at him blankly. "I got lost. Why aren't you in class?" He laughed. "Touche! I didn't wanna go. My name's Dean by the way, Dean Winchester. Show me your schedule." Castiel held out the paper. "I'm Castiel Novak."

"Hm... Oh! The math buildings are outside, A1's the first one on the left." Dean explained. Cas blinked. "Why are they outside? Were not enough classrooms built?" The Winchester laughed. "I dunno actually, guess they just wanted to be douche bags. Well, you'd better get goin' if you don't wanna get in trouble!" He nodded. "Thank you, Dean." Dean shrugged. "No problem." Castiel left to go find his class, glancing briefly back and smiling. Had he just made a friend?

Once lunch came around, Cas and Balthazar exited their Earth Science class together, and headed for lunch. Cas had told his brother about the boy he'd met before Algebra, and Balthazar got a strange look on his face. "Hey, I heard about him during one of my classes too. He's a senior, and apparently he's got a pretty bad reputation." The black-haired Novak blinked in surprise. "Well he seems nice." Balthazar shrugged. "Eh... I'm just telling you to be careful. Gabriel's got a bad reputation, but he's family so we know what to expect from him."

Entering the lunchroom, they looked around for an empty spot. Seeing none, Balthazar thought. "Hey, let's go eat on the roof!" Cas nodded, and followed him. When they got to the roof, they saw two boys already there. One of them... "Dean?" The taller boy looked up from where he was sitting. "Oh, hey! Cas, right?" He nodded. "We didn't expect people to be up here." The shorter boy, who seemed to be around the same size as the two Novaks, shook his head. "You can sit with us, if you want. I don't mind." He looked at Dean, who hesitated, then nodded. "Sure." Balthazar sat down first, then Cas followed suit. "Thank you."

"I'm Sam, by the way. Dean's brother." The boy introduced himself. "I'm Castiel, and this is my brother Balthazar." Cas returned the favor. "Are you another freshman?" Sam blushed faintly, and got an irritated look. "Actually I'm a sophomore..." Dean snickered. "Yeah, he's just kinda short. His friend Andy Gallagher's even shorter though." Cas cocked his head. "Gallagher?" A vague image of a watermelon crossed his mind. "Not like that Gallagher." Sam said hurriedly.

"Anyway, how was your first day?" Dean asked the pair. "Well, we heard a lot about our brother Gabriel's shenanigans." Balthazar said bluntly. Cas nodded. The older Winchester laughed. "Oh yeah, he's your brother too, huh? Yeah, that last one with the cement balls painted like soccer balls? Priceless!" Sam rolled his eyes. "You just thought it was funny because Uriel tried it at a run." Dean cackled in amusement. "Hell yeah!"

Sam frowned. "Hey, isn't Uriel a Novak too? There are a lot of Novaks in this school, come to think of it." Castiel glanced at Balthazar. "Well, there is a reason for that..." Balty nodded. "We're not actually related. We all live in... well, I guess you could call it an unofficial orphanage." Dean raised his eyesbrows. "Oh? Huh, guess it explains why none of you guys look alike."

As lunch came to a close, Cas finished his PB&J sandwich, and folded up the bag to throw away. He stood up as the bell rang. "Thank you for letting us eat lunch with you." Dean grinned. "No problem. It was actually pretty fun." Cas smiled a bit. "Yes... it was." Maybe this school year wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. Chapter 2: The Gifted Class

Around a week into the school year, it had become a ritual of sorts for the four friends to meet on the roof for lunch. Castiel and Dean had become especially close, with Cas often disregarding the latter's personal space. It was debated between Sam and Balthazar how much the older Winchester actually minded though, as despite all of his complaining, he never actually enforced his request that Cas keep his distance.

That particular day, however, the Novak boys couldn't help but notice that Sam wasn't there. "Where's shortie?" Balthazar asked curiously. He'd taken to calling Sam out on his lack of height, after discovering that he was actually an inch shorter than them. "Oh, Sammy's in a gifted class that started up today." Dean explained. "He was in it last year too."

Cas cocked his head. "Gifted class?" Dean shrugged. "I dunno, but Sammy's pretty damn smart. So is his friend Andy, he's in it too." Balthazar raised his eyebrows. "Huh. Well, his loss. Gabriel made cookies yesterday." The three of them spent lunch talking about classes and eating butterscotch cookies.

Afterwards, Castiel looked at Dean. "Balthazar wanted to go to the arcade after school, would you... like to come?" The older boy gave a lazy grin. "Sure, why not? I'll bring Sammy." He looked at the door into the school. "I gotta go, but I'll see you later!" He left. Balthazar put a hand on Cas's shoulder. "Getting cozy huh?" The black-haired boy blinked. "Huh?" He chuckled. "Nevermind, Cassie."

Exiting the shower room after Gym, Sam shook the water out of his hair and shouldered his bag. Spotting Jake Tally, another member of the gifted class, he jogged up to the taller boy. "Hey Jake! Wanna walk together?" Jake looked down at him and shrugged. "Sure. We're goin' to the same place anyway." The two left the gymnasium and walked down the hallway.

They met up with the other four members outside the classroom. The teacher hadn't arrived yet, it seemed. "Hey Sam." Andy grinned sheepishly from beside his brother. Ansem always stuck close by him, and everyone knew it. The two hadn't known about each other until they reached high school, and it didn't take long for Ansem to start shadowing Andy nearly everywhere. Frankly, Sam found it creepy.

"Hey, Andy." He smiled back. Ansem scowled lightly at him, and Sam resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Lily crossed her arms over her rather impressive chest, and shook back her mane of blonde hair. "Where is he? It looks pretty bad when the students all beat the teacher to the classroom." Jake nodded in agreement.

"Oh, patience is a virtue, students." Came the low, silky voice of their teacher. "Mr. Azazel! We didn't see you there." Andy said, startled. He tweaked at his over-long sleeves as he spoke. Azazel chuckled. "That's because you don't pay attention. Follow me, now. I though we... might have class outside." They all looked at each other, then followed him.

Out on the field, the group sat together in a half-circle, looking up at Azazel who was in a chair in front of them. He looked at each of them in turn, before beginning to speak. Sam had never been sure what kind of class this was, really, because the topic varied all the time. Sometimes they studied history, sometimes they'd have an almost 'free period' of physical activity, sometimes they'd discuss things as controversial as religion. Today was the latter.

"Today I thought we might discuss the book of Revelations." Azazel told them casually. "Seeing as that seems to be the one that holds your interest." Sam perked up almost imperceptibly. "Does anybody remember the four horsemen?" His hand shot up. "Conquest, although he's often replaced by Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death." Azazel chuckled. "Exactly. The four horsemen were signs of the Apocalypse, and-" The class lasted for around an hour and a half, with the students sometimes interrupting to comment or ask a question.

When the buzzer on Azazel's phone went off, he stood up. "You all did very well today, especially Sam. You seem to have a knack for Biblical Studies." He smirked, ruffling Sam's hair briefly. "Very good... Alright, I'll see some of you in class tomorrow, and the rest next week. Make sure and study up on Sodom and Gamohrra, I think we'll discuss that soon." The group all stood up, and parted ways.

Sam walked back to the school, and spotted another blonde at the doorway. He couldn't help a grin. "Jess!" He reached her, and felt a soft brush of her lips on his cheek. "Hey Sam~" She smiled sweetly. "You wanna come to the arcade with me and Dean today?" He asked her. "Oh, as fun as watching you and your brother try and run each other off a virtual race track sounds, Lily and i have plans." She said teasingly. Sam laughed. "Okay, maybe we can go out this weekend? To a movie or something?" Jessica nodded. "That sounds perfect." She smiled, then let him pass by her.

Sam walked through the school, until he saw Dean. He walked up. "Hey." Dean looked at him. "Hey Sammy, how'd class go?" A shrug. "We talked about the book of Revelations." Dean looked confused. "That's a really weird class you've got, y'know?" Sam chuckled. "I know." Castiel and Balthazar walked up to them. "Hello." They looked. "Hey Cas, hey Balty." Dean grinned. 'Balty' scowled. "No." Everyone laughed, before starting off towards the arcade together.

Slowly, the remaining students trickled out of the school, and then the teachers. Detentions were still going, but the left over teachers began locking the doors. When the last open door was clear, two students were not seen darting back into the school. Two heads of long blonde hair disappeared around a corner of lockers when a teacher passed by. "Shh!" Lily shushed Jessica's giggles. "I've never snuck into the school before!" The grinning blonde whispered excitedly.

Her begrudging friend groaned, then led the way. "C'mon, Jess. It's this way." Jessica followed, then thought of something. "Lily? What are we looking for?" She rolled her eyes. "I told you, I've been getting suspicious about Mr. Azazel. There's just something so weird about that class... and dad always told me to trust my instincts." Jess nodded a bit. "Sure sure... but what are you expecting to find?" Lily shook her head. "I don't know."

Reaching the door, she pulled her student ID out of her pocket, and worked the side of it. Soon enough... Click. She smirked. "Bingo." Opening it up, they crept into the classroom. Detentions were never held here, and he always left early. Slipping inside and shutting the door, Lily began rifling through his cabinets. Jess looked around, and started searching the desk.

For a half-hour they searched without progress. "I guess there isn't anything. Maybe he's just weird?" Jess suggested. Lily looked doubtful. "Maybe... hm?" She saw a large file on top of the cabinet, but when she reached for it... "What are you girls doing here?"

They spun around to see another student. "Brady!" Jess said in relief. Lily wasn't as much. "We were... looking for something I thought I lost in here. Guess not. We'll be leaving now." Brady eyed her, nodding. "That might be a good idea. I won't tell him, but my father wouldn't like you being here without his permission. He might get... angry."

The two girls managed to leave without further incident. "There was something suspicious about that." Lily scowled. Jess sighed. "Maybe you're just over-reacting, we didn't find anything!" The other girl's mind flashed to the folder. Her fingertips had brushed it, it might've fallen but she couldn't be sure. "... Yeah."

As they exited the arcade, Castiel listened awkwardly to Balthazar and Dean's bickering. "I didn't cheat, you moron." The blonde argued. "Yeah you did! You pushed me before I could hit my button!" The senior growled. "You leaned over too far." Balthazar rolled his eyes. Sam sighed, then heard his phone go off. "Hm?" He took it out and answered it. "Hello? Jess? Hey, slow down, what's wrong?" The other three froze to look at him in concern. He heard a sickening crunch over the line. "Jess? Hello? JESS!"


	3. Chapter 3: A New Friend?

"Hey Sammy, you okay?" Dean looked at him with concern. "Sammy?" Sam looked up from the ground as they walked away from the school. "Huh? Oh... I was just thinking about Jess." Dean's eyes softened, and he placed a comforting hand on his little brother's head. "She'll be okay. Remember what the doctor said? Full recovery."

Sam pulled away. "They also said she's lucky to be alive, Dean! Lily too... They... They could've died." His voice shook with repressed anger, but it wasn't directed at Dean. It was whoever had done this... The taller Winchester sighed. "They'll find out who's responsible. It just sucks that they didn't see the guy. Too dark out, I guess." Sam nodded weakly. "Hey, we'll tell dad when he comes by today." Dean suggested. He sighed.

Thinking about his girlfriend of almost a year, her body bruised and battered, he clenched his fists tightly. What was she even doing out at that time of night? He shook his head. It just didn't make sense. Reaching the house, Dean unlocked the door and they went inside. "Hey Bobby! We're home!"

There was a clattering from the kitchen. "How was school?" The grizzled man walked into the cluttered hall, stirring something in a bowl. He looked at them from under his baseball cap. Dean gave a half-grin. "Not bad. Spent Civics class in a closet, heh heh." Sam shrugged distractedly. Bobby looked sympathetic. "Worried about your girlfriend?" He nodded. "Yeah..."

Dean grimaced, then pulled Sam along. "Dad come by yet?" Bobby shook his head. "No, not yet. Should be here within the hour though." He led them into the kitchen, where some sandwiches had been placed on the table for them. "Makin' brownies, if you boys want some." He poured the batter into a pan and pushed it into the oven. Dean raised his eyebrows. "Hell yeah."

Each male had an empty plate and glass in front of them, and Dean was talking with Bobby about the pros and cons of aspiring gymnasts, when they heard the key in the front door. It opened, and John Winchester stalked through. "Boys? Bobby?" Dean stood up. "Kitchen, dad!" Their father entered, setting his duffle bag down. "Hey."

Bobby scowled briefly, then nodded. "John." Dean had to keep himself from snorting. He remembered that the last time the oldest Winchester had dropped by, Bobby'd gotten so mad he'd threatened to shoot him. John sat down, and Dean handed him a beer. Once he'd had a drink, he looked at his boys. "So, anything happen I should know about?"

Dean looked at Sam, who hesitated. He was reluctant to tell him, and he wasn't even sure how much the man would care. Finally, he nodded. "Yeah. Something happened at the school yesterday. Er, near it." Sam proceeded to explain the attack to his dad. Dean and Bobby listened silently, offering their own comments from time to time.

When he finished his story, John sat back in his chair. "I see... that's worrying, if there's someone attacking students. Does anyone know who it might be? Why they did it?" The boys shook their heads. "But Jess and Lily weren't supposed to be there." Sam insisted. "I don't know what they could've..." He groaned in frustration.

Then his head shot up in disbelief at John's next words. "Well it's none of your concern anyway." He stared. "What!?" Dean looked shocked too. "Dad, we've got the know-how, we can help." John shook his head. "No, you can't. You're too deeply involved, Sam. And Dean, you are too. Just... stay away from it, you can't get involved."

Sam stood up, knocking his chair over. "What the hell have you been doing for 15 years!? You've been 'getting involved' with mom's murder! Yeah you've been solving other cases too, but wasn't that why you quit being an official detective? So you could get this guy?" John's face was livid. "Sam! That's different, and you know it! You're just a kid, and one that's gonna get himself killed if you don't step back!"

Bobby saw the movement before anyone else, and tried to grab Sam. Before he could get a hold on him though, the boy had bolted. The front door slammed, and John slammed his fist on the table in frustration. Dean looked between them. "Why does Sam always fight me on things like this?" His father scowled. Bobby rolled his eyes. "Come off it, you were always like that at his age."

Finally, John decided to leave, after making Dean promise to find his little brother. After he left, Dean sighed. "I get where Sammy's comin' from though. It's frustrating that after all this time dad doesn't think we can do anything!" He pulled on his leather coat, bearing an annoyed look on his face. As the door shut for the third time, Bobby shook his head. "Then why don't you tell him how you feel for once? Idgit."

The only sound Sam could hear was his own footsteps on the pavement, as he ran from the house. The evening breeze was bracing on his reddened face, but it didn't cool his anger. He'd been right in the first place, their dad didn't care, at least not like he should. He cared that there was a case in town, not that one of his sons' girlfriend almost died.

So he ran, and ran, until he was out of breath and his legs were numb. Looking around, Sam saw that he was downtown. Panting and feeling his stomach growl, he stepped into a cafe for a coffee and sandwich. After getting his Chicken Salad and drink, he walked over to an empty table to eat. He'd been to the place once before, and had really liked the food, but this time he could barely taste it.

'You can't get involved.' John's voice rang in his head, and he gripped his cup angrily. Jess was his girlfriend, how could he not get involved? Not to mention Lily. She might not be one of his closest friends, but still... Finishing his dinner quickly, he left again. Breathing heavily, he thought of Dean searching for him. "Guess I should go back..."

He was too tired to walk all the way back, so he decided to take the bus for a while. Catching it just in time, he clambered on, flashing his bus pass and walking sulkily to the back. Sam sighed, leaning against the side and closing his eyes. A moment later, he felt someone sit next to him.

"Hey, little Winchester~" It was a feminine voice. Opening his eyes, he looked at her. "Huh? Do I know you?" She had long, slightly wavy blackish hair, and a look of uncaring arrogance. The young woman quirked an eyebrow at him. "Maybe not, but I go to school with you. The name's Ruby." She smirked. "Care to talk?" Sam looked at her unsurely. "Uh... sure. My name's Sam, by the way."

Twenty minutes later, Sam said farewell to Ruby and got off the bus. His heart was pounding with guilt, although he didn't know if he should feel it. There was something about her... Something that caused him a mix of guilty intrigue and wary caution. Shaking his head and reminding himself of his currently injured girlfriend, the boy started walking.

Before he got very far, he heard a familiar voice. "SAM!" Freezing, he turned. Dean was running towards him at full speed. Stopping before he ran head first into his little brother, the older boy grabbed him by the shoulders. "What the hell!? NEVER run off like that again! I've been lookin' all over for you!" Sam felt a pang of guilt, and he averted his eyes. "I'm sorry Dean, I just... dad made me so mad!"

Dean rolled his own eyes. "Yeah, I know. But you piss him off too, Sammy! He doesn't want you getting involved because he doesn't want you to get hurt." Sam sighed. "Fine. Can we just go home now?" Dean nodded. "Sure. Dad's left already, after I promised to look for you. Y'know you seriously worried all of us? I had to make Bobby promise to wait. He's getting too old to be out here looking for you when you run off!" The two brothers walked back home together, where Bobby was waiting for them.


	4. Chapter 4: The Novak Boy

Gabriel Novak, the trickster of the school. Known for being a cunning student, when he deemed the class worthy of effort, but also of being the biggest trouble-maker they'd ever known. He wasn't considered the cutest boy around, but he certainly wasn't ugly. His multi-colored eyes that seemed to shift with the light were well-regarded amongst the females; And his up-beat yet snarky attitude had a charm of its own.

That particular day, he was in detention, as he often was on Fridays, and a bespectacled blonde girl had spotted him through the door window. She rolled her eyes at the sight of him throwing pieces of paper at the back of another boy's head, and knocked on the door. "Come in." Came the hoarse, accented voice of Mr. Alastair, who was in charge of detentions.

Atropos entered with a note, holding it out to the tall teacher. "The principal wants to see Gabriel Novak, sir." Alastair examined the note, and smirked. "Ah, perhaps he's finally enacting a more serious punishment on our little trouble-maker. Go on, Novak." Gabriel spit his tongue out briefly, before standing up. "Okay blondie, lead the way." She glared, then turned on a heel and walked out.

The young man chuckled, and followed her. Out in the empty hall, her heels clicked on the tile floor. "So, why're you delivering messages? Shouldn't you have gone home already?" Gabriel asked curiously. There was a pause. "If you must know, my sisters don't come home until late, so I offered to act as a messenger on Fridays. I also get extra credit." She answered rather snappily. He raised his eyebrows.

Gabriel recognized Atropos from around, she was the determined A plus student who attended cram school. He'd never understood it. She also rarely interacted with others directly. "So why're you so anti-social?" Atropos turned and looked at him. "Well aren't you full of questions? For your information, I'm not." She returned to walking.

"Then how come you eat lunch by yourself?" He persisted. "..." She gripped her hands tightly. This nosy bastard... "Because. No one wants to eat lunch with a ghost." She replied quietly. He stared at her. "A ghost?" She sighed. "Nevermind. We're here."

Gabriel eyed her, hearing the bottled frustration. "Hm. Yeah, I'll go in. But, Atropos?" She looked at him. "You wanna eat lunch with me tomorrow?" There was a brief moment of staring. "Fine. But only because I don't have anything better to do!" She snapped, and walked off. He chuckled. "Sure you don't~"

Knocking on the door, the Novak boy entered when he heard the command to do so. "Er... Mr. Azrael?" The principal was sitting at his desk, pale and vaguely death-like. His black hair was brushed back, and his intense, faintly sunken dark eyes were staring at him. Gabriel shuddered a bit. This was one of the only people he knew who honestly intimidated him. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Gabriel Novak, I did." Azrael answered in his usual calm, level way. "L-look, if this is about me spraying Round-Up on the football field to draw a di-" Gabriel was cut off. "I can assure you that this is not about that. Actually, I wanted to speak with you about a relative of yours." The Novak looked at him questioningly. "Specifically, your brother Lucifer." At this, the boy's face went pale. "What... about him?"

Atropos sat outside the office. She'd wanted to avoid further conversation, so she'd left despite needing to stay near, before returning once he was inside. Why was that boy so nosy? No one was ever this interested in her before... Shaking her head of the thoughts that briefly tried to take hold, she decided to get a head start on her work.

Not ten minutes after she started writing, the door opened and Gabriel walked out. He looked troubled and fidgety. She quirked an eyebrow. "Was it that bad? What, did he get you on the Football field incident?" The boy shook his head quietly. "Nah, it was... it's nothing. Forget about it." She noticed the slight shake in his voice. "Well from your reaction it's not nothing, so spill it." She patted the seat beside her, and he reluctantly sat.

"My, er... my brother. He's getting out." He explained. She looked at him. "Like... out of Juvenile hall?" A dry laugh. "Yeah, right. He was in a 'Secure Juvenile Facility'. He's been in there for nine years." Atropos stared. "What? What did he do?" Gabriel glanced at her. "Burned our house down. Well, what would burn anyway, a good chunk of it's made of stone. He injured one of our younger brothers in the process, too."

There was a brief silence. "Wow..." She finally murmured. "Why would he do that?" He shook his head. "Who knows? I guess he was just angry... Hell, I know he was angry. After our dad... Uh, nevermind." He stood up. "Hey, I'm not the kinda guy that'll just sit here and spill my life's story. Besides, since I'm out, I'm gonna go hang out at home while I can." Giving a short wave, he forced a grin and took off down the hall.

She watched him silently. "Hm..." She heard the principal come to the door. "Atropos, you may go home now, I won't be needing anything else today." She nodded. "Alright, thank you Mr. Azrael." Gathering up her things, she left as well. On the way out, she noticed Dean Winchester slipping out of the school as well. Probably skipped out like Gabriel... She thought, watching him meet up with his little brother.

Atropos had heard about the recent drama Sam had encountered, with Jessica Moore and Lily Baker's hospitalization. She felt sympathy, though she was more concerned with the girls. Jessica was one of the only women in the school who had paid her any mind in the past, even if it was just in passing. She was a nice girl.

Shaking her head, she silently hoped for the attacker to be caught soon, before more people could be attacked, then she walked to the bus stop. Atropos sat on the bench, and waited. Suddenly, she heard a voice. "Oh, it seems I missed classes..." It was masculine yet soft, with an almost... sad tone to it. She looked.

An older boy, maybe a senior, stood looking at the school. His expression was one of calm disappointment. A pair of soft, but chilling blue eyes fell on her. "Has school already ended for the day? It's been so long since I went to one." There was something... off about how he emphasized his words, but she nodded slowly. "Yes... it's out for the weekend."

"I see... How disappointing. I guess I'll go home then." He sat down beside her. "What's your name?" She blinked. "I'm... Atropos." The boy looked at her out of the corner of one eye. "Atropos... Hello, I'm Lucifer." She stared. Gabriel's brother? "Erm... Hello."

Before further conversation could take place, the bus arrived. "I suppose I'll... see you later." He walked up the steps to the bus. "Oh, I don't have any money." She followed up hurriedly, and held out money for him, while flashing her student ID. Something told her she didn't want to leave him wandering the city. "Thank you." He said, giving her a smile that didn't reassure her. "No... problem."


	5. Chapter 5: The Past

The following day, Lucifer Novak was officially enrolled as a senior. Luckily, he'd been taking correspondance classes for school, so he was allowed to do this. On his first day of official high school, the class that started him off had one Dean Winchester in it. Said senior was late, as usual, and once he'd gotten seated, the teacher looked around. "Well, we were supposed to have a new student today, but he doesn't seem to be-"

A chair screeched back. "Oh, I'm here Ms. Tessa." Every head in the class turned to look. The boy smiled faintly, eyes glinting. "I got here early." Dean raised his eyebrows. Weird new kid... Tessa stared at him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Alright... well, you should introduce yourself." He crouched in his chair. "Of course... I'm Lucifer Novak. Pleased to meet everyone." Dean stared at Cas and Balthazar's older brother. Woah...

At the end of the class, Dean approached him. "So... are you Cas's brother?" Lucifer eyed him. "Hm? Yes, I am... Who're you?" Dean held out an awkward hand. "Dean Winchester." There was a pause. "Winchester? Ah..." He seemed familiar with the name. "I've had the... pleasure, of meeting your father."

"You've met my dad?" The Winchester looked at him in slight confusion. "Yes. Actually, he was the one who arrested me nine years ago." The bite in Lucifer's voice was clear. "Oh." The tension between them had suddenly increased tenfold. "No... hard feelings though, of course." Something about the way he said that made Dean skeptical.

The Novak eyed him one last time before walking past with his bag. Dean waited a moment, then also left. Walking distractedly to his next class, he bumped into someone. "Oh, my bad." It was Benny, one of his closest friend. "Oh, hey Dean." The other senior smiled at him. Benny was a rough and tumble looking guy, with a raspy Louisiana voice. On the inside he was surprisingly warm and loyal, which Dean knew well.

The two boys walked to their next class together, talking. Dean told Benny about his new classmate, and the shorter boy agreed on his caution. "Sounds a bit off to me." He said in a light drawl. "... Be careful, okay? I heard that guy jus' got outta full-time juvie, he could be dangerous." Dean nodded. "Yeah, I'm not stupid, I'm keepin' an eye on him."

Sam held his nose, wincing as he walked to the nurse's office. He'd happened to walk past a door as someone opened it, and it had hit him in the face. It sure felt like it was broken, but he doubted it. Rapping on the door, he heard no response, so he opened the door slowly and peered in. "Er... Nurse?" The word came out sounding funny due to the pressure, but it was intelligible.

"She's not here." A soft-spoken, masculine voice spoke from behind a curtain. Sam blinked. "Oh. Are you okay?" The curtain slid back, and he saw why the other boy was here. A large portion of the skin on the left side of his chest, and his left shoulder was scarred, and he was closing a jar of moisturizer. "Yes."

This student appeared to be older than Sam, with dark hair and eyes. He pulled his shirt back on, followed by a hoodie. "This is just something I have to do from time to time every day." Sam frowned. "Wow, that... doesn't sound fun at all."

The boy chuckled dryly. "It isn't. Oh, I'm Gadreel Novak, by the way." He stood up, and looked down at the smaller boy. "I'm Sam Winchester." They exchanged a handshake. "So, er, how'd that happen?" Gadreel glanced down. "Oh, a house fire. It could've been a lot worse, though." Sam nodded a bit. "I guess so..."

The older student looked at the bruise already forming on Sam's nose. "Oh, that looks painful." He'd almost forgotten the injury until now. "Yeah, I've gotta wait for the nurse to take a look at it. Gadreel gave a sympathetic grimace. "Well, I need to go, so I guess I'll see you another time." Sam smiled. "Sure."

At lunch that day, Sam and Dean both noticed that their friends seemed distracted. "Hey, Cas? You okay?" Dean asked in concern. Castiel looked at him. "Oh, um... I guess not." Balthazar nodded, leaning back. "Things are a bit complicated, now, really." Sam cocked his head. "Is it because of your brother? Lucifer?" Both boys nodded this time.

"What'd he do anyway?" Dean asked in confusion. Cas explained about the house fire. Sam stared. "Is that where Gadreel got those burns? I saw him in the nurse's office earlier." Balthazar sighed. "Yup. He got caught in the fire, had to be pulled out by a fire-fighter. His scars aren't as bad as they could be, though. Doctor said he got off lucky."

Dean shook his head. "That's messed up... Why would he do somethin' like that?" Balthazar shrugged, and Castiel folded his hands in his lap. "We don't know. All we can guess is that he finally snapped. He acted out a lot before then, from what we remember." Sam looked at him. "Why?"

"Well, me and Cas don't remember it, cause we were too young, but from what our oldest brother Michael told us, he started getting more anti-social and unpredictable after our dad disappeared." The blonde explained. Cas nodded. "They got into fights constantly. I remember, vaguely, that Gabriel would always hide in his room when that happened... I think he was secretly happy once Lucifer was arrested."

The group was silent for a while. Dean glanced at Cas. "Hey, Cas? If.. er... if things get a bit too rough at home, you could probably stay over. If you want, I mean. You too, Balty." On account of the offer, Balthazar let the nickname pass. "Thank you, Dean." Castiel gave a small smile.

Sam prodded at his food. He'd been eating less ever since the incident with Jessica. "Are you going to see her today?" Dean asked, knowing why. Sam nodded. "Yeah. She's getting out soon, but... I heard she's transferring." The other three looked at him. "I was supposed to see her a few days ago, but I just... I'm kinda nervous of what's gonna happen when I do."

Dean looked at him, and ruffled his hair. "Hey, you gotta keep your chin up, right? Just let her say her piece before you assume." Sam sighed. "I know..." They heard the bell for lunch go off, and Dean jumped up. "Well, there's no use worrying about it till you get there anyway. C'mon, you don't wanna be late." They all threw away their trash, and parted ways.

Sam stood outside of the hospital door, fidgeting with the strap of his backpack. Taking a deep breath, he knocked. "Come in." Came the sweet reply. He opened the door, and walked in. "H-hey, Jess. Sorry I couldn't come before."

She was sitting on her bed, with her legs swung over the side. Bandages covered one of her arms, and he knew some were under her clothes. A square of white was held over one eye, which had been badly bruised. She smiled at him, and he smiled weakly back. "So, you're getting out tomorrow?" Jessica nodded. "Yeah. Um... Sam? Can we talk about something?" Here it was. "Sure." He walked over, and sat on a chair.

"... I... I know why me and Lily were attacked." Normally Sam would've corrected the statement, but he was too shocked. "You do!? Do you know who?" She shook her head. "No, but... Before I was knocked out, he told me to..." Jess looked away, then looked at him. "He told me to stay away from you, Sam." He stared at her.

"You... you mean you were attacked because of me?" He asked weakly. "No! Sam, this wasn't your fault. If we hadn't been at the school in the first place..." She said firmly, clasping his hand. He pulled it away, keeping eye contact with her. "Jess... yes it was. From what he said..."

He shook his head. "I... I think we need to break up." It was Jessica's turn to stare. "Sam..." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Jess. We have to. You'll transfer, and we'll... we'll stop seeing each other. It's for your own safety. Please. I... I can't be the reason you get hurt again." Without waiting for an answer, he left. Standing outside the door again, he shook, eyes wide and tearing up. Because of him...

Walking subconciously, he found himself outside of Lily's door. Through the window, he could see her, hooked up to the machines. She hadn't been as lucky as Jess, and had been put into a coma. Was that his fault too...? Sam clenched his fists hard enough to dig his nails in. Why...?

Leaving the hospital, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. The receiver rang, then was picked up. "Hello?" He swallowed nervously. "Hey... Ruby? Is that offer still available?" A pause. "Of course it is, for you."


	6. Chapter 6: LARPers in Love (Breather Ch)

Dorothy Baum scowled. She was currently sitting outside of the counselor's office yet again, waiting to be seen. All she'd done was cold clock a boy who'd been pestering her, and he'd had it coming. It was ridiculously hot that day, and she'd been waiting for nearly an hour, which was not helping her mood in the least. She'd already had to strip down to her tank top.

Finally deciding that the counselor obviously didn't think it was imperative that he see her, Dorothy stood up and left. She walked along the hallway, bypassing her current class and heading straight to the next. At the very least she could sit outside and read until period change.

The freshman girl sat cross-legged beside the door, and after putting in a pair of earphones and turning on some Muse, she opened up a book. Not five minutes passed before one of her earbuds was pulled away from her. "Whatcha listening to?"

Dorothy turned her head and came face-to-face with a red headed girl from her next class. Charlie Bradbury or something. "Er... Muse."

"Ooh, Madness, I like that one~" Charlie grinned at her. "Mind if I sit? Just finished a test so I got out early." The brunette shook her head begrudgingly. The newcomer sat next to her, and popped in the earbud. Soon enough she was humming along, and tapping her heels on the floor. "God it's hot..." She groaned, fanning herself briefly.

Dorothy eyed her, hesitant to continue reading, lest the girl interrupt again. Sure enough, no sooner had she turned back to the book... "So, you're name's Dorothy, right?"

She nodded, suppressing a sigh. "Yeah. And you're Charlie."

Charlie smiled. "Sweet, you remember me. Always a good thing to be recognized by a pretty girl~"

Dorothy blinked, and her eyes widened a bit when the words registered. Now she remembered, Charlie was a very open lesbian. "..." She glanced at her again. "... You're very pretty yourself." A small smile.

The redhead grinned. "Y'think? Aw, thanks!"

The pair sat outside until period change, when they both went inside. Charlie made to sit beside Kevin Tran as she normally did, but after a moment she changed course and set her stuff on the desk beside Dorothy, which was always empty. "Has anyone told you you're really tall? She asked.

The tall girl nodded a bit. "Plenty." It was true, she was already 5'8", which was around six inches taller than Charlie and the other freshman girls. She had gotten used to remarks about her height, now it was just another thing for people to find odd about her.

"You mind opening the window?"Dorothy shrugged and did so, discreetly so the teacher wouldn't tell her to shut it again. The cool breeze filtered in, and Charlie sighed softly, smiling. "Mm, thanks~"

Near the end of class, Charlie leaned over. "Hey, you wanna hang out after school?"

"Huh?" Dorothy had been doodling in her notebook. "Ah... sure."

She grinned. "Sweet! Have you ever tried LARPing before?"

"LARPing?"

Charlie's eyes widened. "Ohhhhhh have I got things to show you."

Wooden swords smacked harshly against one another, as various pairs dueled. Dorothy was currently watching Charlie brutalize her match. The redhead was small, but fast and very skilled. She grinned wildly as she spun around and rested the point of her sword on her opponent's neck. "I win."Everyone clapped, and a few girls exchanged glances.

Dorothy stood up. "Can I try?"

Charlie nodded. "Yeah! Here, you can fight Harry."

An older boy with short dark hair approached. "I'm gonna warn you, I'm pretty good." He said, raising his eyebrows.

She scoffed softly. "I'll take my chances."

The two squared off in the center of a small circle of other LARPers, swords pointed at each other. Dorothy eyed the boy quietly, until she noticed that he seemed to be nursing a twisted ankle. As he stepped with his good foot, she charged, and the battle was on.

They exchanged blows for a short while, until Dorothy's instincts kicked in and she swung at his head. "Gah!" Harry swung up his own sword, and they met with a loud 'CRACK!'

Dorothy's broke at the handle, jamming a splinter into her hand. "Ow!"

"Woah! No headshots!" Charlie gasped, and examined her hand. "Oh... Here." She pinched the area, and managed to pull the piece of wood out. "There you go~" She kissed Dorothy's hand, and smiled.

The taller girl went faintly pink, and looked away briefly. "Thanks..."

She and Harry shared a handshake, and the boy left, apparently to meet up with a friend. "Okay, carry on!" 'Queen' Charlie shouted, and the others went back to their activities.

"This is definitely interesting. And... kinda fun." Dorothy admitted.

Charlie smiled. "I'm glad you like it~"

"I was wondering... if you might wanna hang out tonight, and maybe watch some movies. Do you like Dragon Heart?" She asked a bit awkwardly, having never done this before.

The redhead stared, and grinned. "Do I!? Sure! Where d'you live?"

Dorothy gestured back to the school, which was nearby the field where they were Role Playing. "On-campus."

"Oh, so do I!"

She blinked. "Really? Well, I'm in room 115, so... you should come by. I gotta go, I've got Track."

Charlie smiled. "Bye!"

That night, Dorothy and Charlie were squished together, sitting on her bed and watching Dragon Heart. A case of cream soda and a pizza box were beside them. "So, I've been meaning to ask, your last name's Baum, right?" Charlie asked her.

"Yeah, why?" She asked, only half-paying attention.

The other girl rifled through her bag, and pulled out a book. "Are you related to Frank L. Baum?"

Dorothy looked at her this time, and gazed at the book. A look of soft contempt was on her face. "... Yeah. That's, well, he was my dad."

"Seriously!? Your dad wrote the Wizard of Oz?"

She nodded. "Mm-hm. He was always so damn into his books." She scowled, and looked back at the TV.

Charlie eyed her with concern. "Dorothy? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She didn't sound it.

"No, you're not." Charlie said, crossing her arms.

Dorothy eyed her. "You wouldn't wanna hear it anyway, we just met." The redhead continued staring at her, silently refuting that. She sighed. "Fine. Yeah, I've got some resentment for my dad. But that's because when I was growing up, he was always absorbed in his reading, and writing. Hardly felt like I had a dad most of the time, and when he finally showed me some concern..." She looked away.

Charlie blinked. "He died? Why the change?"

"He didn't die yet." Dorothy explained. "I was ...kidnapped. By the time I managed to run away, maybe two years ago, he'd died. But I heard that he was always trying to find me... the book was something he left behind for me for when they found me."

"Wow..." Charlie murmured.

The brunette eyed her. "What about your parents?"

She shook her head. "I don't really remember my dad, but my mom's the one I got my geekiness from." She grinned, then it faded. "Before she got sick. Now she's in a coma..."

"Oh." Dorothy said awkwardly, looking away. After a moment of debate, she slowly extended her arm around Charlie's shoulders. The redhead blinked, then leaned on her. "... Let's watch the movie, okay Charlie?"

"Sure..."


	7. Chapter 7: Investigation

"Dude. If you like her, just tell her." Dean had been attempting to get his best friend, Benny Lafitte, to nut-up and confess to a girl for the past half-hour. He sighed when the other boy brought out the card he'd known he would.

"Dean, a girl like that wouldn't wanna get with a guy like me." Benny replied in a resigned fashion. "I'm not exactly 'high-class' goods." He shifted the greek fisherman's cap on his head, and closed his locker.

The elder Winchester rolled his eyes. "Pamela's exactly the kind of girl who'd go for you. You're pretty tall, on the football team, and you can cook. She's a southern girl. How do you not see that working out?"

Benny just shook his head. "C'mon, brother, isn't the little Winchester waitin' for you?"

Dean blanked for a second, then- "CRAP! I forgot he had a debate today!" He skirted around Benny and took off. "See ya!" The Louisiana boy chuckled, before glancing across the hall at his crush. Feeling his cheeks redden a touch, he quickly picked up his bag and left.

Sliding to a halt outside the Auditorium, Dean peered in and entered. The debate seemed to be in progress, and Sam was tearing the other boy apart easily. Dean had never seen him so into the game. He grinned. "That's my Sammy."

He leaned against the wall, looking around to see who else was there. Debates weren't exactly a fun thing to watch most of the time, so the audience was sparse. Most of the teachers who weren't watching a club or detention were there. He saw Mr. Azazel, along with some of the other kids from the 'special' class. He also saw a familiar mullet-head beside Andy Gallagher.

"Ash..?" He snuck over, plunking down beside his fellow senior. "Hey."

Ash looked at him. "Huh? Oh, hey Dean. Late as usual?"

Dean shifted awkwardly and laughed a bit. "So, you two know each other?"

"Actually, we're roommates." Andy admitted with a sheepish grin.

The Winchester looked between them. "Yeah, I can see that. Probably a stashing-frenzy in that room when a teacher comes by." Neither of them retorted. He laughed.

Sam rolled his eyes a bit. Grinning, Dean waved at his younger brother, who looked like he wanted to face-palm. Instead the short one made do with bringing down his opponent's argument, in a quick-fire barrage. When it was once again the other's turn, Sam tapped his fingers impatiently on his podium.

"Have you ever seen Sam this into a debate?" Ash asked curiously.

Dean shook his head. Andy looked at them. "Y'think he's trying to impress someone? I mean, he did break up with Jess, didn't he?" They all looked around at the attendees. There weren't many girls there, but one stood out due to the fact that she didn't attend the school as far as any of them knew.

"Huh. Wonder who that chick is?" Dean frowned.

Ash shook his head. "Never seen her around. She's not a transfer, I'd know... Y'think Sam knows her from somewhere?"

As he wondered that, they noticed her wave casually to the short Winchester, who gave an almost unnoticeable nod in acknowledgement. "Guess so." Andy said in surprise.

Dean had stopped paying attention when he'd noticed someone else. Standing up, he sidled over and sat dow beside them. "Hey Bobby, didn't know you were here."

The grizzled man looked at him. "Well, I ain't got anything better to do, so I might as well."

He chuckled. "Sure, sure. So, this mean we're all going home together?"

"What, would that embarrass you?" Bobby asked him, though it was obviously his own way of teasing.

Dean snorted. "It takes a lot more than that to embarrass me."

A teacher nearby shushed them, and they glanced at each other awkwardly. The rest of the debate went on as boringly as usual, and Dean had almost fallen asleep by the time it was done. Bobby nudged him. "AH! Huh, what?" He looked, and saw Sam coming down. "Oh, good debate Sammy!"

The shorter boy rolled his eyes. "You were falling asleep, Dean." He had snapped a bit, but shook his head. "Okay, I've just gotta go say hi to someone then we can go." He walked over to the unknown girl, and they began talking.

Dean looked at Bobby. "Hey, d'you know who that girl is?"

The older man shook his head. "No."

A moment later, Sam came back. "Okay, we can leave now."

They got ready to exit the Auditorium, but before the left, a voice stopped them. "Nice debate, Sammy." Lucifer Novak was leaning casually against the wall beside the door. He was looking at them with his usual unreadable expression, though there was a slight smile on his face. For some reason it was more unsettling than the frown.

"Er... thanks." Sam said unsurely.

Dean eyed Lucifer, who stood up. "I always like watching things like this. They're very... educational. I learn a lot about people that way." He glanced at Bobby, before looking at Dean. "Your little brother's very interesting." After having said that, the Novak walked past them to the door. "Hm... I should go I suppose, Gabriel's waiting for me." He left.

"I really don't like that guy." Dean scowled.

Bobby nodded. "There's definitely somethin' off about him. Course those Juvenile Facilities can really mess up a kid, they usually come out worse off." The trio put him out of their minds and left. It didn't take long for Bobby's truck to arrive at his house, although when it did they received a surprise. A shiny black car was parked outside.

"The hell?" Bobby frowned, parking his own. They all got out of the truck, and Bobby led the trudge up the driveway.

A man was standing beside the door, and looked at them as they approached. "Bobby Singer?"

"Who's askin'?"

The stranger chuckled a bit, and held up something they'd seen from John a lot. "Hendrickson, FBI."

Bobby scowled. "Yeah, I'm Bobby Singer. What're you lookin' for?"

"Not looking for anything, I just want to ask a few questions." He replied. "About John Winchester."

Dean blinked. "How's our dad involved with FBI?"

Hendrickson eyed him. "Well, he's not really. Other than I believe he's impersonated an agent on multiple occasions."

"So you're investigating him?" Bobby crossed his arms.

"Independently. It's an interest of mine." The agent added. "Your... friend has been involved in more crimes than you may be aware of."

Bobby snorted. "I don't know how much of a friend I'd consider him these days, but enough that if y'don't get your car out of my damn driveway, I'll shoot it full of buckshot'n you'll have to walk to work."

Hendrickson eyed the three of them. "Hm. I'd be well within my rights to arrest you then, which means I could ask you all the questions that I want. But, I'll leave for now, I've got a few other things to do today." He got into his car. "You can expect me back."

After he left, Bobby scowled. "What's John gotten us into this time?" He unlocked the door. Dean followed him in, then Sam did. As the man drove away, the youngest Winchester released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and released his grip on his bag.


	8. Chapter 8: Revelation

"Sammy!" Hearing Dean calling for him, Sam jumped in surprise. He washed his face in the sink, and dabbed it dry with the fluffy hand towel beside him. "Coming, I'm coming!" He stuffed a few things into his bag, picked it up, and darted down the stairs.

Dean was waiting beside the front door, arms crossed and tapping his foot impatiently. A black cape hung behind him, tying the rest of the costume. "I still can't believe you're going as batman." Sam said incredulously.

"What? He's badass! Is that your costume?" Dean eyed it a bit.

The smaller Winchester looked down. "What's wrong with it?" He was wearing a black/white suit, with the addition of a devil tail and horns, and red gloves. "A friend suggested it, and I couldn't think of anything better." He admitted sheepishly.

His older brother chuckled. "Well, whatever. C'mon, let's go!"

A Halloween party was being held at the school, much to the chagrin of some authorities. Luckily, Mr. Azrael didn't much care if they didn't like it, and saw it as a time for the students to socialize.

Bobby, who had deigned not to dress up, drove them to the school. "Alright, have fun boys. Not too much fun." He added, looking pointedly at Dean.

Dean laughed and gave a chuckle. "Aw, fine. I'll probably just hang around Sammy and Cas anyway."

The two clambered out, and waved goodbye to the older man before he drove away. Approaching the double doors, they could hear the music from inside. Some kind of generic pop song. Dean groaned. "Why can't they have better taste?" Inside, they saw a familiar tousle-headed boy. "Yo, Cas!"

Castiel turned, and gave a small, dorky grin. "Dean, Sam. Uh.. Hey." A pair of white angel wings were attached to him rather convincingly, the harness was stitched into a beige trench coat to mask it. "Gabriel did it." He explained sheepishly.

Sam chuckled, and Dean grinned in amusement. "Well look at that, Batman gets an angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other!" The three went into the main room together.

Couples danced in the center, sometimes being pulled apart if they got too close. Seeing all the couples together brought a twinge to Sam's heart, but he made an attempt to brush it off. "So, uh... let's find somewhere to sit?"

"Aw, c'mon don't be so anti-social!" Cas stumbled as his older brother Gabriel threw an arm around him. Grinning ear-to-ear, he was wearing a suit of a violent purple, with along with top hat.

Sam stared. "Let me guess, you're Willy Wonka?"

The older boy laughed. "Got it in one, Sammich!"

He twitched at the nickname, but Dean snorted. "Hey Gabe. The whole family here?"

"You bet~" Gabriel grinned, gesturing around. The various Novaks were spread around the room. The nearest one wasn't recognizable, due to the fact that they were wearing a Darth Vader outfit.

Noticing Gabriel had pointed at them, they turned to look at the group. "Gabriel? Is there a reason you're pointing at me?" Pulling off the helmet, they saw it was Gadreel.

"Oh, hey Gadreel." Sam smiled.

Gadreel seemed to be about to return the greeting, but his gaze fell on someone else, and he fell uncomfortably quiet. "Oh... I like your costumes." The familiar voice surprised them.

Sam spun around, coming face-to-face with Lucifer. Dean jumped. "Dude, don't do that!"

"Hm?" The boy eyed Dean. "Did I scare you? So sorry." It sounded sincere, yet somehow they knew it wasn't.

Gabriel forced a chuckle. "Oh, hey Luci! What's your costume, a big douche?" Dean smirked in amusement, and Sam rolled his eyes. Castiel had begun to take a careful interest in the punch bowl.

Lucifer eyed the group. "Hm. Very funny Gabriel, now come with me. We need... to talk."

The younger boy cocked an eyebrow uncaringly, but they could tell it concerned him. "About?"

"They don't need to know." He hooked a finger into the back of his brother's collar and pulled him along.

Cas frowned. "What could Lucifer want to talk to him about?"

When they'd found an empty hallway, Lucifer released Gabe's collar. "Okay, what's this about Luci?" The boy asked, crossing his arms.

The older brother chuckled. "Don't try to act tough with me Gabriel. And you know better than to call me that by now... I would hope."

"Yeah, yeah, whaddya want?" He persisted.

"..." Lucifer pushed Gabriel against a locker, holding him there by the collar. "Now you know I would never want to hurt you, brother. But I also want you to listen to me." He had dropped his habit of trailing off, which meant he was quite serious. Gabriel listened. Even he knew when enough was enough. "I don't like the company little Castiel has taken to keeping. Actually I don't like the company any of you have been keeping in my absence, but his are especially unacceptable."

The shorter boy decided it was safe to talk. "What, because their dad locked you up? Don't punish them just because of that, it's not fair. Besides, since when do you lump kids up with their parents? I thought that kind of thinking always got your panties in a-"

Lucifer shoved him harder to silence him. "This is nothing like that, and I don't want you acting like it is. From now on, you'd better help me keep them away from our little brothers. Capiche?"

Gabriel coughed a bit. "'Piche..." He was released. It escaped Lucifer's notice that he'd had his fingers crossed. As the older boy walked away, the younger chuckled nervously. "Oh I'm never that easy Luci... And neither is Cas."

After Gabriel returned, he noticed the group had left and decided to leave them be. Dean and the others had moved to an empty table, and taken some of the refreshments with them. Benny had joined them, wearing a pirate outfit with the addition of vampire fangs.

"It's kind've hard to eat." He admitted at Dean's prodding. "But I'm not hungry anyways."

Sam looked around, his barely-held energy had evened out over time, and now he was reclining against the table. Cas was eating, and making a point of ignoring Benny. The two of them... didn't get along. Sam didn't approve because of the other senior's history, but he didn't know what the Novak's reason was. Maybe it was the same?

Dean chuckled, nodding. "Makes sense. Hey, did y'see Pamela's costume? Sexy witch~"

Benny glanced across the room at the young woman, and looked away again. "Er, yeah I did. Looks good on 'er..."

"Oh that's adorable." Dean said teasingly. "Hey Sammy, can you bring her over here?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Fine." Getting up, he crossed the dance floor awkwardly. "Hey Pamela? Dean wanted to talk to you, I think he wants to set you up."

She smiled, and looked at him curiously. "Oh? Wonder who with~ Sure thing cutie." And she followed him. It was always odd for Sam to interact with her, since he could never tell if she was hitting on him or just teasing.

As they made their way across the room, someone danced backwards right into Sam. He felt his foot hook against the chair, and he tumbled forward. His bag skittered across the floor, sending something else sliding off on its own. "Woah, Sammy you okay!?" Dean ran over to help him up.

"I'm fine!" Sam scrambled up, and ran painfully over to his bag.

Looking around frantically, he saw Cas holding a bag of white powder. "... Sam? What's this?"


End file.
